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My computer crashed and I am unable to boot from the harddisk. I can't even boot in safe mode. There is data on the hard drive I wish to get to. Is it possible to boot from the XP cd, then link to the C: drive. If so, I could copy off the ../my documents/*.* to an external drive. Then, after I have my data, rebuild the PC.
Any ideas here? I'm really stuck. The computer is a ThinkPad and came with XP preloaded.
Thanks, Mike
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Hi your best bet is to try and boot off the xp cd and perform a repair. This is not the recovery console and a repair is performed at the same stage in the set up process that a brand new installation would be done. If a repair does not work youwill have to remove the drive and attach it to another computer in a drive caddy or via cable and try to copy the data off it manually. This link tells you where you can find more information on performing a windows repair: http://www.justaskjames.co.uk/default.asp?link=106
-- James Yeomans, BSc, MCSE
"Mike P" wrote:
[Quoted Text] > My computer crashed and I am unable to boot from the harddisk. I can't even > boot in safe mode. There is data on the hard drive I wish to get to. Is > it possible to boot from the XP cd, then link to the C: drive. If so, I > could copy off the ../my documents/*.* to an external drive. Then, after I > have my data, rebuild the PC. > > Any ideas here? I'm really stuck. The computer is a ThinkPad and came with > XP preloaded. > > Thanks, > Mike
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Unless you made changes to the Recovery Console's security settings you will not be able to access that folder by booting with the XP CD.
Is your CD a "real" Windows cd or is it an OEM ThinkPad recovery disk? Be warned that using an OEM recovery disk will erase all the data on the drive.
You can salvage your date by using a PE boot disk like Bart' PE disk or the Ultimate Boot Disk for Windows (UBCD4Win) or you can remove the hard drive from the laptop and using an adapter you can mount the disk in a USB enclosure or in another desktop computer.
John
Mike P wrote:
[Quoted Text] > My computer crashed and I am unable to boot from the harddisk. I can't even > boot in safe mode. There is data on the hard drive I wish to get to. Is > it possible to boot from the XP cd, then link to the C: drive. If so, I > could copy off the ../my documents/*.* to an external drive. Then, after I > have my data, rebuild the PC. > > Any ideas here? I'm really stuck. The computer is a ThinkPad and came with > XP preloaded. > > Thanks, > Mike
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That is not the best bet if the drive is failing or if the file system is experiencing corruption!
John
James Yeomans BSc wrote:
[Quoted Text] > Hi your best bet is to try and boot off the xp cd and perform a repair. This > is not the recovery console and a repair is performed at the same stage in > the set up process that a brand new installation would be done. If a repair > does not work youwill have to remove the drive and attach it to another > computer in a drive caddy or via cable and try to copy the data off it > manually. This link tells you where you can find more information on > performing a windows repair: > http://www.justaskjames.co.uk/default.asp?link=106>
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"Mike P" <MikeP[ at ]discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:33C3470E-A037-4813-9AD1-47789B896DC8[ at ]microsoft.com...
[Quoted Text] > My computer crashed and I am unable to boot from the harddisk. I can't
even > boot in safe mode. There is data on the hard drive I wish to get to. Is > it possible to boot from the XP cd, then link to the C: drive. If so, I > could copy off the ../my documents/*.* to an external drive. Then, after I > have my data, rebuild the PC. > > Any ideas here? I'm really stuck. The computer is a ThinkPad and came with > XP preloaded.
When you suspect a system crash and your main concern is to rescue data off the hard drive, stop attempting to boot from this hard drive. 1. Remove the HDD from this PC and instal it as a slave drive in a different PC. 2. If at all possible copy the HDD to another drive (copy it exactly, sector by sector, if you can) and make any changes to the copy, not the original, so as to avoid altering the data you want to save.
-- Don Phillipson Carlsbad Springs (Ottawa, Canada)
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http://www.knopper.net/knoppix/index-en.html
You have accesss to another computer. Download the Knoppix Live CD; it is about 700 MBs. Make a bootable CD from the above ISO file. It uses your computer's hardware, but does not install on your Hard drive.
Boot with it, and it should give you access to your Windows files. Copy them to a flash drive. With the Flash Drive>right-click on it>Properties, untick read only -- Mad Mike
"Mike P" wrote:
[Quoted Text] > My computer crashed and I am unable to boot from the harddisk. I can't even > boot in safe mode. There is data on the hard drive I wish to get to. Is > it possible to boot from the XP cd, then link to the C: drive. If so, I > could copy off the ../my documents/*.* to an external drive. Then, after I > have my data, rebuild the PC. > > Any ideas here? I'm really stuck. The computer is a ThinkPad and came with > XP preloaded. > > Thanks, > Mike
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You have access to another computer then
I would remove the drive and put into another computer as a Slave and then take off all your needed Data
-- Peter
Please Reply to Newsgroup for the benefit of others Requests for assistance by email can not and will not be acknowledged.
"Mike P" <MikeP[ at ]discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:33C3470E-A037-4813-9AD1-47789B896DC8[ at ]microsoft.com...
[Quoted Text] > My computer crashed and I am unable to boot from the harddisk. I can't even > boot in safe mode. There is data on the hard drive I wish to get to. Is > it possible to boot from the XP cd, then link to the C: drive. If so, I > could copy off the ../my documents/*.* to an external drive. Then, after I > have my data, rebuild the PC. > > Any ideas here? I'm really stuck. The computer is a ThinkPad and came with > XP preloaded. > > Thanks, > Mike
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"John John (MVP)" <audetweld[ at ]nbnet.nb.ca> wrote in message news:%23t7HZ4tLJHA.456[ at ]TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
[Quoted Text] > That is not the best bet if the drive is failing or if the file system > is experiencing corruption! > >
That's right.
First thing to do is backup all the data and confirm it's good.
Next, run the mfg's harddrive diagnostic... no sense in trying to repair the OS if the drive is bad..
Once the data are backed up...and if the drive tests ok... then run chkdsk /f or chkdsk /r
If that does not fix it...a repair install is probably needed
> > James Yeomans BSc wrote: > > > Hi your best bet is to try and boot off the xp cd and perform a repair. This > > is not the recovery console and a repair is performed at the same stage in > > the set up process that a brand new installation would be done. If a repair > > does not work youwill have to remove the drive and attach it to another > > computer in a drive caddy or via cable and try to copy the data off it > > manually. This link tells you where you can find more information on > > performing a windows repair: > > http://www.justaskjames.co.uk/default.asp?link=106 > >
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